Recipe: Moroccan Roasted Vegetables with Fresh Herbed Quinoa

Post by Olivia Martino, Registered Dietitian and Co-Owner, Nourish Northwest

 

 

 

 

 

 

My spring cleanse group is on Day 8 and that means they are starting to add foods back in.  Way to go, guys!!!! You are doing a great job and it only gets easier from here.  One of the issues we discussed at our mid-cleanse meeting yesterday, was making sure to focus on mainly eating vegetables.  Since foods like nuts, beans, fruit and grains were allowed during most os the cleanse, it can be easy to fill up on those foods before getting your veggies in.  However, one of the main points of the cleanse is to provide your liver with an overabundance of supportive nutrients to do its detoxification job efficiently.  So, what is the best way to make sure you fill up on veggies?  Make a TON of them at once!  While, the ingredient list of this dish may look intimidating, keep in mind, this is a make-one-time, eat several times, type of dish.  Aside from a lot of chopping, this is a very easy dish to prepare and has a ton of flavor.  It is also a balanced meal, as it contains chickpeas for protein.  The other beautiful thing about this dish is that you can substitute with any veggies that you like.

 

Moroccan Roasted Vegetables

Adapted from Mooswood Restaurant New Classics

Serves 6

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Baking time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

1 medium red onion, cut into 1/4 inch slices

1 medium zucchini, cut into 1/4 inch semi-circles

1 small eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch thick semi-circles

1 large sweet potato, cut into 1/4 inch thick semi-circles

2 medium fresh tomatoes, chopped

1 small head of cauliflower, chopped

1 can chickpeas, drained

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 Tbsp ground cumin

1 1/2 tsp turmeric

1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp cayenne

2 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, thoroughly mix together the onions, sweet potatoes, cauliflower, tomatoes, chickpeas, zucchini, garlic, oil, lemon juice and seasonings.

3. Spread the vegetables onto an unoiled 11×17 inch baking tray.  Bake for 30 minutes.  Remove from the oven and stir well; then bake for another 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.  Serve warm over quinoa.

Fresh Herbed Quinoa

Serves 4

Total time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa

2 cups water or broth

2 Tbsp fresh chopped herbs (parsley, chives etc)

Salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Bring water or broth to a boil in a medium saucepan.  Add quinoa, reduce to a simmer and cooked, covered for 15 minutes.

2. Stir in fresh herbs and season with salt and pepper.